The US Green Card Lottery: Free to Enter, and Full of Fake Websites

The Diversity Visa programme is one of the few immigration routes in the world where being from an African country is an advantage rather than an obstacle — most African nations are eligible, because the lottery favours countries with low rates of recent immigration to the United States.

It is also the single most impersonated immigration programme on the internet.

Three facts that protect you

1. Entering is free. The US government charges nothing to submit an entry. Not a "processing fee", not a "registration fee", not a "photo fee".
2. There is exactly one official entry website, run by the US Department of State. Every other site that takes your money to "submit on your behalf" is a middleman at best.
3. You are notified by checking the official site yourself, using the confirmation number you were given when you entered. The government does not email you to say you have won.

That third point is the one that costs people money. The classic scam is an email or WhatsApp message saying you have won and must pay a fee to proceed. Winners are never notified that way.

Basic eligibility

• You must be from an eligible country — the list changes between years, so check it.
• You need either a high school education or its equivalent, or a qualifying amount of recent work experience in an occupation requiring training.
• Your entry photo must meet strict technical requirements, and a wrong photo is the most common reason a perfectly good entry is thrown out.

Only one entry per person, per year. Submitting twice disqualifies you.

Winning is not the end

Being selected means you may apply for a visa. There are more selectees than there are visas, and selection is not a guarantee. Fees do become payable at the later application stage — but those are paid to the US government at the consulate, not to an agent in advance.

Save this rule

If someone asks you to pay to enter the lottery, or messages you to say you have won, they are not the US government.

Keep your confirmation number somewhere safe. It is the only thing you need to check your own result, and it cannot be replaced if you lose it.